my 100th post!

didn't even realize it, but this entry marks my 100th wednesday nite dinner post! woo hoo! it's gotten tougher to keep up regular blogging over the past few months due to work and other priorities, but i'm happy to have made it thus far. and i have no intention of ending the blog anytime soon. cooking, dining and food in general are still my passions and that'll never change.

so to celebrate my 100th post, i thought, what better way to do that than to share a recent "wednesday nite dinner" that was basically a reprise of a dinner i cooked for a friend's "au revoir" almost 2 years ago on march 31, 2006. that evening, i prepared an elaborate vegetarian dinner for my friend, jenny chu, and 3 others as we wished her good luck and farewell as she embarked on a journey to beijing for work.

this dinner was months before i had even given interest in blogging and archiving my food adventures, let alone cook a gourmet meal for friends on a weeknite. interestingly, when i look back on photos from that night, they look identical to the wednesday nite dinner series i did for a few months at the end of 2006. here's a quick look at that evening...

the menu


table setting with platter of asiago zucchini and chinese eggplant frites


plated belgian endive, watercress, and red radish dressed in a sake wasabi vinaigrette


tower of portobello and truffled celery root puree with a red pepper balsalmic reduction, served with roasted mixed grape tomatoes with garlic and basil, and toasted pine nut couscous with thyme


it was a grand ole time and the food was great. and jenny felt that was the best vegetarian meal she's ever had in her life.


fast forward 23 months or so, jenny is back in the states, visiting friends and family for the chinese new year. one of the things she absolutely wanted to happen was to have me prepare her another vegetarian meal. and so this is what i came up with for a party of 3 that night.

1st course: broiled stack of eggplant and beefsteak tomatoes with aged gruyere


2nd course: hearts of romaine with crumbled feta and eggplant chips drizzled with balsamic and extra virgin olive oil


3rd course: soft parmasean polenta with vegetable ragout - a blend of zucchini, eggplant, roma tomatoes, mushrooms, sun-dried tomato tofu sausage, and port


a bottle of fruity and hearty old moon zinfandel from trader joe's rounded out the bold and acidic flavors in this meal. and for only $4.99 a bottle too.


while not as elaborate as the previous dinner, this turned out pretty well. and i still hold my position as one of the best vegetarian chefs, according to jenny.


jia jien jenny!

and thanks everyone for your support over the past year and a half. it's nice to know you guys still read this! and that definitely keeps me going...